DO YOU HAVE A BOOK QUESTION?

[manor_house_books]

Hi all, pippy_oak here, posting under my brand new user name. Hopefully, Richard will pin this thread, as it seems a nice tidy place to pose specific questions about a book (Is it a 1st edition, what's it worth, where to find it etc. etc.) Don't just come here with a question. If you think you have the answer, then let's hear it.

Or we could just mooch around and learn a few things.

Cheers

Paul

[celtiaid]

Can somebody please help me? I'm driving myself insane trying to look for a book which I read about 20 years ago!! It's seems impossible, as I can't remember the name of the author or book tile!! I can remember the characters' names and the gist of the story. The book is fiction set in WW1, characters Ben Smith or Roberts (who is a sergeant) Fanny (who is a well to do lady)who becomes a nurse in the trenches. Ben plays the trumpet, and that's about it folks!! I hope somebody can help me !!

[sagesaucer]

Sound like something claire rayner could have written!

[sigmapsidelta]

ABE has their 'booksleuth' section where they try to figure out what a book is from your recollections of it.

. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Whomever you may murder, there's no police like Holmes.
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[mad-badger]

Tallie's War by Jan Webster has a similar plot.

[celtiaid]

Will try your suggestions. Thanks for your help.

[french_fings]

Hope someone out there can help me!
I have a french translation Romeo et Juliette translated by Duval with Hatherell illustrations. Its not dated. It has the quarter leather and leather spine with title in gold. 22 illustrations. The volume is not dated. I went to your link on this threads forst page and found it anywhere from 31us to 400us. Help I dont know whether to list it (its french so cant assume it will appeal to many) but the illustrations are beautiful!
Thanks in advance!

[sigmapsidelta]

You could list it on eBay.frog - more likely to sell there.

Note that the ones you saw prices for are for sale, yes? Think about that. Not sold, for sale. To be more accurate in your prices you would have to find a few examples that had actually sold. Those figures would give you a better idea.

It is a judgement call. If you list it you could add a reasonable profit to what you paid for it and start it at that.

You could check on Amazon to see if there are any listed there. You may have to wait a while for it to sell, but you'd probably get a better price than on here.

Who knows? Maybe the French eBay community will go nuts for it. Maybe not.

. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Whomever you may murder, there's no police like Holmes.
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[bannon19]

"The Folio Society is actually the poorer cousin of the United States Limited Editions Club."
Sigmapsidelta

Yes, you're probably right. Many FS editions have very poor art work by "modern" illustrators who have gone on to produce ...well, nothing since. I have long thought that many FS editions have been extremely tacky. Many have also aged quickly, with foxed and faded spines. The quality simply has never been sustained, partly due to the fact that they have needed to produce books in large numbers to keep their customers happy. This is not to say that they don't get it right more often than not! A good Folio Society edition can still take your breath away. Internet selling will probably always take second place to bookshop selling with FS, regarding prices. With their slip-cases, they are usually very weighty tomes. But collectors have their own agenda and early FS in VG condition will always do well.

[ok-mrs-bee]

Hello, French_fings ... I've just been over la Manche to see what I could find on eBay.fr.

Have a look at the Completed Item: 130102562010

(At the risk of being accused of teaching my Granny to suck eggs - you put that number in the Search box - top right of page 🙂 )

For sale, at the moment, is: 140115657281 - it might be worth watching how it goes.

I had a bit of fun with Babelfish to get ...

In 4,reliure demi chagrin sombre à coins ... In 4, binding half sorrow sinks with corners.

Dos à nerfs,et coins legerement frottés ... Backs with nerves, and corners slightly rubbed.

It sounds as though the book could use a psychiatrist - or some Librium!

Bee.

[french_fings]

Thanks Mrs Bee for going to so much trouble. I have been sat sitting here contemplating writing a description in French and to be honest dreading it!!!

[ok-mrs-bee]

It wasn't any trouble - I'm a bit pathetic when it comes to searching - I love it - it could become a habit! 🙂

I don't think this beautiful book is going to earn much.

If you decide to list it, stress the artist and the leather on the binding.



*My mother had a caravan at Rhosneigr and another branch of the family has a caravan near you. :-)*

[french_fings]

To be honest with you say it at a bric a brac locally cost me 5 euros....(£3)
Think I might keep it... as you said its lovely and I bought it primarily because of the beautiful illustrations.

[french_fings]

caravan near me in France?

[ok-mrs-bee]

No - near you on Anglesey.

[alittlehusky]

Have to agree with you, bannon. Some more recent FS books I've seen did strike me as a bit naff'n'phony...having said that, the buyer of the last one I sold (not for a fortune!) seemed delighted, so no accounting for taste, eh?

[manor_house_books]

"Tinker, The adventures of the hole eating duck" by Patrick Woodroffe?

I've got a nice copy, but it's got me baffled. All information gratefully received.

[sagesaucer]

I have a book with a personal inscription (obviously signed) by author. Not a well known author by any means. I have checked The River which has 3 copies starting at over £80 and ABE lists one only at £23.
Its Aztec Astrology by KC Tunnicliffe - anyone any idea whether it is likely to shift?

[samuelflirtyman]

I think you will find that The Subtle Knife with the number 2 missing, 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1 is a 1st edition 2nd printing as the number 2 should be in place of the number 1 and that is the actual printing error.

[sigmapsidelta]

Sage, that is an odd and interesting-sounding title.

But to achieve a decent price I think you might have to put it on Amazon and await developments.

You could try it on here, but it might either sell too cheaply or not at all, depending on what you start it at.

. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Whomever you may murder, there's no police like Holmes.
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[sigmapsidelta]

Sorry, MHB. Never heard of that one.

How does one go about eating a hole? Even sucking a Polo mint leaves the hole behind.

. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Whomever you may murder, there's no police like Holmes.
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